summary ofThe Righteous MindBook by Jonathan Haidt, PhD

second KEY POINT

Intuition always runs ahead of rational thinking

An essential tenet of moral psychology is that intuition always precedes reasoning. Most people feel an initial flash of rage when they hear the story of a man who shot a young lady. However, that anger significantly fades as the new details of the incident emerge — the man’s mother was being held at gunpoint by the lady, and he fired the gun in self-defense. This impulse of emotion is also called affect. It is a subconscious reaction of the brain to the things around it. It is so subtle and quick that people can’t explain why they suddenly feel disgusted or fascinated by a specific object. This psychological process proves that humans always experience emotions and moral intuition before rationalizing and making wise decisions. The affective primacy is like an elephant; it does not rely upon reason. Logical thinking rides the elephant and follows the animal’s chosen direction.There is a belief that individuals are prone to judge others by their appearance. From the perspective of psychology, this is true. Humans are more attracted to conventionally beautiful people; they might have high expectations of them and assume they are kind and intelligent. This practice is visible even on an official level — juries might be more merciful toward pretty people than average-looking folk. Even scent can influence the formation of moral judgment. Researchers asked participants in a social experiment to answer a few questions. During the questionnaire, people had to inhale foul odors — they didn’t know it was part of a test. The answers tended to be rougher and more brutal. The findings show that the more comfortable the environment, the milder the people’s reactions.

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